COLUMN: MLB second half begins

Did you find yourself watching the Watch and Sniff episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (No. 3 really did smell like bacon) or ESPNU’s Top 25 college football games of 2012 (No. 24 was BYU at Utah)?

Take heart. The games return Friday, and the second half of the Major League Baseball season promises to be full of intrigue, especially in the American League East where all five teams have a legitimate shot at making the postseason. Yes, even Toronto at 45-49 has shown flashes of excellence.

But, in this neck of the woods, it’s the Baltimore Orioles that have captivated baseball fans’ attention. Last season, under manager Buck Showalter — who orchestrated the New York Yankees’ resurgence in the mid-1990s — the Orioles experienced their own renaissance by making the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

You know what they say, however. It’s easier to obtain than maintain. The second time isn’t going to be easy. And the margin for error in the second half of the season is much narrower than in the first 82 to 90 games.

Some storylines as August approaches and the pennant races heat up like a July afternoon:

— Will Chris Davis hit 61 home runs? If so, he’ll be the first player since the Steroid Era to have done so.

The cat’s out of the bag on this one, so, allow yourself the chance to weigh in on this one. In the late 1990s, baseball was euphoric over the surge in long balls merely a few years removed from the lockout of 1994-95 that stole a postseason and left the sport in limbo with the fans. So, when Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run in September 1998, even Roger Maris’ family is there to congratulate him.

The good vibes were all sound and fury, signifying nothing, as baseball was left with two black eyes due to the steroid scandal that rocked professional baseball. Turns out, the baseball’s weren’t juiced. The players were. Baseball got the fans back, but at a steep price. The height of the Steroid Era came when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s record for career home runs in 2007, hitting No. 756 on Aug. 7 of that year.

Already at 37 home runs, Davis needs just 24 dingers in the final 66 games (that’s in the neighborhood of 264 at bats). Questions have surfaced about the possibility that Davis might be getting a little help. You be the judge.

Davis hit 33 home runs during the 2012 season (he played in 139 games) and a grand total of five in 59 Major League games in 2011.

The former Texas Ranger will open the second half against his old team as the Orioles (53-43) play a three-game series in Arlington this weekend.

Page 2 of 2 - — Will Baltimore and Washington make the playoffs again?

— Will the Philadelphia Phillies get some of the magic back and return to the postseason in 2013?

— Will the Pittsburgh Pirates make it to the postseason for the first time since 1992?

— Will Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera come close to breaking Hack Wilson’s RBI record of 191 this season? Cabrera has 95 RBI’s in 93 games. The record has stood since 1930.

— Will the powers that be consider making the extra wild card game a three-game series rather than a winner-take-all game?